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What to know about COVID-19 variants of concern

August 17, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed the COVID-19 delta variant as one of its “variants of concern” (VOCs) on June 15. According to the CDC, VOCs can be more contagious, more dangerous, less susceptible to available treatments or harder to detect.

The current VOCs all have mutations in the virus’s spike protein, which acts as a key to break into cells to infect them. And that’s a potential concern because the spike protein from the original version of the virus is what scientists used to design all three authorized vaccines. It’s also what monoclonal antibody treatments latch on to so the virus can’t get into your cells, effectively “neutralizing” the threat. So far none of these mutations have changed the virus enough to undercut the vaccines.

The uncontrolled spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, means the virus is mutating quickly. That’s why many new variants are being discovered in places with the highest infection rates and large numbers of unvaccinated individuals, like the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Brazil.

“Viruses mutate; they change their form all the time,” said ABC News medical contributor, Dr. Simone Wildes, a board-certified infectious disease physician and public health expert at South Shore Health in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

“We’re not just dealing with one virus, we’re dealing with a lot of viruses. Because there’s been uncontrolled replication around the world for the last year and a half, we’ve created variants beyond variants,” said Dr. Todd Ellerin, ABC News medical contributor and Director of Infectious Diseases at South Shore Health.

Thousands of variants exist around the world, but most of them do not change the way the virus acts. Experts are constantly working to figure out which variants we should focus on and how they change how we combat COVID-19. Right now, there are only a handful of concerning COVID-19 variants.

Alpha variant (B.1.1.7)

The alpha variant was first identified in the U.K. and thought to have emerged in September 2020. It spread in Europe before arriving in the U.S. in December 2020 and was the dominant viral strain in American until early June this year.

Compared to the original Wuhan strain, the alpha variant is about 50% more contagious and led to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the U.K. However, the alpha variant is susceptible to available vaccines, according to the CDC. Treatments called monoclonal antibodies, which are designed specifically to combat the virus, also still work against the alpha variant.

Beta variant (B.1.351, B.1.351.2, B.1.351.3)

The beta variant was first identified in South Africa in October 2020 before arriving in the U.S. in January 2021. Like the alpha variant, it is about 50% more transmissible than the original strain. It is also better at evading neutralizing antibodies, meaning our defense systems– natural immunity after infection, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies– have a hard time stopping the virus from breaking into cells. This makes the beta variant more difficult to treat and more likely to cause reinfection or breakthrough infection compared to the original strain. Early studies from South Africa and countries in the European Union report that it might potentially lead to more hospitalizations and death in people under 60.

While beta made up a minority of infections in early 2021, currently, there are now few, if any, documented cases of the beta variant in the U.S.

Gamma variant (P.1, P.1.1, P.1.2)

The gamma variant was identified in Japan in four travelers arriving from Brazil in November 2020, and was found in the U.S. in January 2021. Despite the current spread in Brazil, it only accounts for 1% of infections in the U.S.

Like the beta variant, mutations in the gamma variant’s spike protein make it better at escaping neutralizing antibodies, so people who previously had COVID-19 or are vaccinated may still experience reinfection or breakthrough infection. Studies from the E.U. suggest the gamma variant may cause more hospitalizations and deaths compared to the original strain.

Delta variant (B.1.617.2, AY.1, AY.2, AY.3)

The delta variant was identified in India in October 2020. It gained dominance quickly after it was first reported in the U.S. in April 2021. In fact, delta has now spread so much that it has splintered into several sub variants, referred to as “delta plus.” Delta plus variants have a mutation in the spike protein found in both the beta and gamma variants that may help to evade neutralizing antibodies. While around 13% of infections in the U.S. are from delta plus variants (AY.1, AY.2, and AY.3), it behaves similarly to the delta variant. Collectively, all the delta lineages make up 80-95% of sequenced infections in the country.

Like other VOCs, delta has multiple mutations in its spike protein. What makes delta unique is that it is much more efficient at latching onto your cells and is much more contagious.

“The delta variant is clearly the most contagious variant we’ve dealt with,” Ellerin said. “You ultimately have survival of the fittest … the more ‘fit’ viruses, those with a replication advantage, ultimately win out. Currently, that’s what we’re facing with delta.”

According to the CDC, delta is about twice as infectious as the original strain and estimated to be 60% more infectious than alpha. People infected with the delta variant have been reported to have viral loads 1,000 times higher than other variants. This contributed to the CDC changing its guidance on masks for vaccinated people.

“Masks decrease the likelihood of acquiring COVID-19 and act as source control,” Ellerin said. “Which means if you have it, you are less likely to spread it.”

Studies are still looking at how well vaccines and monoclonal antibodies can neutralize the threat of delta.

“The vaccines are really very effective,” Wildes said. “For those who are on the fence, I think this has really helped me and a lot of people around me to remind them that if you get COVID and you’ve been vaccinated, you’re clearly not as sick as the people I’m seeing in the ICU each day that have not been vaccinated.”

Lauren R. Richter, MD, a pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist, is a postdoctoral research fellow in biomedical informatics at Columbia University and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Unvaccinated couple die of COVID-19 hours apart, leaving behind two teens

August 17, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Courtesy Daniels familyCourtesy Daniels family

(SAVANNAH, Ga.) — Martin and Trina Daniel, married for over 20 years, both died of COVID-19 within hours of each other, leaving behind two teenage children facing an unimaginable loss.

The Daniels met at Savannah State University in the 1990s before Martin Daniel headed to Tuskegee University in Alabama for graduate school, their nephew, Cornelius Daniel, told ABC News.

The couple settled in Savannah, Georgia, where they raised two children: Miles, now 18, and Marina, 15.

Trina was a stay-at-home mom who loved supporting her immediate and extended family while Martin worked as a chemist, Cornelius Daniel said.

“He loved being a chemist,” he said. “One of the reasons I went to Tuskegee was because he went there.”

The Daniels’ niece, Quintella Daniel, added that she went to Savannah State because of her uncle.

“He was just a very motivational person,” she said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, Quinella, a nurse, headed to New York City, the first U.S. epicenter, calling it “a life-changing experience.”

“You may have a lot of people, 10 or 20 people, waiting for one to die to get on a ventilator,” she said. “I thank God every day that about 35 tests I took there … I never had COVID.”

Martin, 53, Trina, 49, and their teenagers — all unvaccinated — contracted COVID-19 in June, the family said.

Cornelius Daniel said his aunt and uncle were hesitant to get vaccinated in part due to the legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which charted syphilis progression in unknowing Black men from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Martin Daniel had “a stubborn attitude toward vaccines in general,” Cornelius said.

“He trusted the vaccines that had been around for awhile,” like for polio, but felt the COVID-19 vaccines were developed too quickly, Cornelius said. (The quick COVID-19 vaccine development was possible because of decades of prior scientific studies demonstrating safety, as well as an unprecedented multibillion-dollar commitment by the federal government to accelerate research.)

The Daniels eventually came around to the idea and were scheduled to get the vaccine in mid-July — the week after they died, their nephew said. The Daniels’ symptoms hit at the end of June and quickly “spiraled out of control” around July 4.

Martin Daniel died at home on July 6. Trina was hospitalized and died that night, the family said.

“We were already taken aback by his passing, but to have to endure the passing of her … was traumatizing,” Cornelius said.

Miles and Marina, battling COVID-19 while their parents died, went to the hospital on July 7 for treatment. They were released hours later, Cornelius said, but had to quarantine for two weeks while dealing with the loss of both parents.

After a painful month, both teens are “doing well” and “adjusting to the new normal,” Cornelius said.

The family dropped off Miles at college this weekend and Marina is beginning her sophomore year of high school.

Miles and Marina now plan to get vaccinated, Cornelius said, adding that he hopes others who haven’t yet gotten the shot will follow the teens’ lead.

“The only bullets we have right now in our gun are the vaccines,” Cornelius said. “So I would prefer a vaccine over a ventilator every day. Too many families have already experienced the pain that we’re feeling.”

COVID-19 live updates: Biden admin expected to recommend booster shots for vaccinated Americans

August 17, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 622,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 59.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing Tuesday. All times Eastern:

Aug 17, 4:56 am
US reports over 200,000 new cases in a day for 3rd time this month

There were 209,988 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Monday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

It’s the third time this month that the U.S. has reported more than 200,000 newly confirmed infections in a single day.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins data shows an additional 683 fatalities from the disease were registered nationwide on Monday, down from this month’s peak of 1,889 new deaths on Aug. 13.

A total of 36,888,978 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 622,321 have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

Aug 17, 4:38 am
Bangladesh extends COVID-19 vaccines to Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh has launched a COVID-19 vaccination program for Rohingya refugees housed in one of the world’s largest and most densely populated camps in Cox’s Bazar, according to a press release from the World Health Organization.

The campaign, led by the Bangladeshi government with technical support from the WHO and other partners, is initially targeting nearly 48,000 Rohingya refugees who are 55 and older. It’s part of Bangladesh’s national deployment and vaccination plan to ensure equity and fair allocation of vaccines across the country.

“Bangladesh is demonstrating what WHO has been advocating for — equitable access to vaccines,” Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of the WHO South-East Asia Region, said in a statement Monday. “Inclusion is key to protecting vulnerable populations like the refugees, for safeguarding their health and that of their host communities and societies.”

More than 1 million Rohingya — a stateless ethnic group who predominantly practice Islam — are sheltering in crowded camps in Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Aug 16, 11:38 pm
Biden admin expected to recommend boosters for all Americans

The Biden administration could soon be urging Americans to get a booster shot eight months after completing their original vaccination, a source familiar with the discussions told ABC News Monday.

Federal health officials and experts are currently coalescing around the idea that all Americans should receive a booster, the source said. Those booster shots could be rolled out as soon as mid to late September — pending Food and Drug Administration authorization.

The announcement, first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post, could come as soon as this week.

The new timeline for the booster shots in a significant shift for the administration, which previously had been non-comital on when boosters for the majority of Americans would be needed.

Aug 16, 10:20 pm
El Paso sues state of Texas over ban on mask mandates

The city of El Paso has filed a lawsuit challenging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in the state to allow for local protective measures to be ordered in the county.

Starting Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., a local health authority order will mandate that all individuals over the age of 2 wear some form of face covering while in public indoor spaces.

The parents of children under the age of 10 will be responsible for appropriately masking their children while outside their home, city officials said.

The order comes after El Paso City-County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza recommended masks at all indoor facilities in the county.

A face covering is not required on those who are eating or drinking or anyone who has trouble breathing, has a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering.

Afghanistan updates: US resumes air operations at Kabul airport

August 17, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s president fled the country over the weekend and the Taliban seized control of the presidential palace there, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

As the crisis intensifies, with images from Kabul showing Afghans storming the airport tarmac and climbing onto military planes after the U.S. assumed control of the airport, President Joe Biden cut his time at Camp David short and headed back to the White House to address the nation Monday afternoon.

The Pentagon said that 6,000 U.S. troops would soon be in the country’s capital as the military races to evacuate diplomats and civilians from an increasingly chaotic Kabul. Despite criticism, the Biden administration is sticking by its decision to withdraw troops from the country by Aug. 31, ending America’s longest war.

Here are some key developments. All times Eastern:

Aug 17, 6:39 am
US ambassador to Afghanistan says he has not fled

Ross Wilson, acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said he is still in Kabul despite media reports that he had fled as the country descended into chaos.

Wilson took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to address the “false reports,” saying he remains in Afghanistan’s capital “working hard to help [thousands] of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans.”

“Our commitment to the Afghan people endures,” Wilson tweeted.

Aug 17, 6:23 am
Taliban declares ‘amnesty,’ urges women to join government

The Taliban on Tuesday declared an “amnesty” for all in Afghanistan and encouraged women to join their government.

“The Islamic Emirate doesn’t want women to be victims,” Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said on Afghan state television, using the group’s phrase “Islamic Emirate” to refer to the country of Afghanistan. “They should be in the government structure according to Shariah law.”

“The structure of government is not fully clear,” he added, “but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership, and all sides should join.”

There are fears that the militants will seek revenge on those who worked for the toppled Afghan government or foreign nations, such as the United States. There are also concerns for the future of girls and women under the Taliban’s government, which stripped them of nearly all their rights when it previously ruled Afghanistan.

Aug 17, 5:41 am
Former Afghan interpreters for US speak out: ‘It’s a nightmare’

Some former Afghan interpreters for the U.S. government are speaking out while they watch in fear from afar as the Taliban seizes control of their country.

Ismail Khan, a former interpreter for American troops in Afghanistan who worked with the U.S. Army as a translator from 2006 to 2012, described the situation as chaotic and dire.

“It’s a nightmare,” Khan told San Francisco ABC station KGO in an interview on Monday. “We never thought it would come to this.”

Khan, who is now the special immigrant visa ambassador for Seattle-based nationwide nonprofit No One Left Behind, said that any Afghans who have worked for or helped the U.S. government are at risk of being killed by the Taliban — and it’s not just interpreters.

“Cooks, cleaners, there are security guards, there are mechanics, there are laundry guys,” he explained. “There are a lot of people that worked with U.S. forces, and not only their lives but their family’s lives are also in danger.”

“People are going to die,” he added. “They (the Taliban) are going door-to-door to slaughter those who raised their hand and wanted to help.”

Khan believes there are more than 60,000 Afghans who need to be evacuated “right now,” but the Biden administration has only approved visas for a few thousand.

“They’re begging for help,” he said. “We should stand up and do something about it. It’s a matter of life and death.”

Another former interpreter, Muhammad, who withheld his last name for fear of retribution, said his wife and five children are still in Kabul. Muhammad worked as an interpreter for the U.S. embassy there until moving to Philadelphia in 2019. He and his family returned to Afghanistan’s capital this summer to visit relatives.

Muhammad went back to the United States last week while his family stayed behind, after receiving assurances from his contacts at the U.S. embassy that his wife and children would be safely evacuated. Now, they can’t get out.

“I cannot live without my family,” Muhammad told Philadelphia ABC station WPVI in an interview on Monday. “They are concerned, they are scared, but they have no option.”

Aug 16, 10:53 pm
Former President Bush calls on America to help Afghan refugees

Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush released a statement late Monday night calling on America and its allies to aid the people of Afghanistan as the Taliban has taken over the country.

They said the Biden administration has the authority to help now.

“The Afghans now at the greatest risk are the same ones who have been on the forefront of progress inside their nation. President Biden has promised to evacuate these Afghans, along with American citizens and our allies,” they said in a statement. “The United States government has the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises. And we have the responsibility and the resources to secure safe passage for them now, without bureaucratic delay. Our most stalwart allies, along with private NGOs, are ready to help.”

Despite the sudden collapse of the Afghan government, the Bush’s said they remain hopeful for the country and its people.

“In times like these, it can be hard to remain optimistic. Laura and I will steadfastly remain so. Like our country, Afghanistan is also made up of resilient, vibrant people,” their statement said. “Nearly 65 percent of the population is under twenty-five years old. The choices they will make for opportunity, education, and liberty will also determine Afghanistan’s future.”

Aug 16, 8:11 pm
Details about C-17 flight mobbed by thousands at Kabul airport

In a dramatic video, hundreds of Afghan civilians surrounded a U.S. C-17 military transport aircraft as it taxied on the runway at Kabul’s airport.

A U.S. defense official said these were not special visa applicants, but people who had breached the runway from the civilian side of the airport.

According to the official, the C-17 had landed with cargo and as the landing crew attempted to unload, it was rushed by hundreds of Afghan civilians. The aircrew decided it was not safe to unload and began taxiing to fly away to safety.

First-ever water shortage declared for Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir

August 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Federal officials have declared a shortage in Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country that serves tens of millions of residents in the West and northern Mexico, amid a historic decades long “mega-drought” in the region.

The Bureau of Reclamation announced the first-ever water shortage for the lower Colorado River basin on Monday, which will prompt a reduction in water releases to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico in 2022 to make sure there is enough water in the reservoir to keep generating power and provide water for essential uses.

Lake Mead will be under a Tier 1 shortage, meaning that starting next year, Arizona will receive about 18% less water from the Colorado River than in a typical year. Nevada’s water allowance will be reduced by about 7%, and Mexico’s by about 5%, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. States, local agencies, tribes and water users will negotiate which users see the most reductions.

In Arizona, for example, farmers will bear the brunt of the reductions, while cities and one tribe will see small reductions under the state’s drought contingency plan, though some have also made voluntary efforts to reduce water use.

The impacts of the water cuts to Central Arizona farmers will be serious and representatives from the irrigation districts anticipate as much as 30% of the farmland in Pinal County could be left unplanted next year, Kevin Moran, senior director of the Colorado River Program for the Environmental Defense Fund, told ABC News.

He said that it will be crucial for states and water users to continue to work together to adapt and conserve as much of the watersheds out west as possible to prepare for worsening conditions in the future.

“I think it’s a wake up call for everyone that we need to start planning for the river that scientists tell us we’re probably going to have not the one we remember or might wish for,” he said.

The reservoir hit its lowest water levels in history this summer, the bureau announced in June. The Colorado River system currently has only 40% of the amount of water it can store, down from 49% last year.

The lowering water levels in several reservoirs in the West have been exacerbated by severe drought, meaning less snowpack to feed into rivers, streams and lakes in areas surrounding the mountains. And what little runoff there is from snow in the spring is immediately sopped up by the arid soil before it can reach important bodies of water.

After 22 years of drought conditions, the water levels at the Hoover and Glen Canyon Dam reservoirs hit the lowest water levels since they were filled, Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo told reporters in a press briefing Monday.

“We are seeing the effects of climate change in the Colorado River Basin through extended drought, extreme temperatures, expansive wildfires, and in some places flooding and landslides, and now is the time to take action to respond to them,” Trujillo said.

The Bureau of Reclamation, states, tribes, and water users have been planning for drought conditions to become more severe and created contingency plans on who would have their water allowance reduced first. In addition to helping farmers and other water users voluntarily reduce water use.

Levels of Lake Mead are projected to hit a level that could require additional cuts in July 2023. State officials said they will have to make difficult decisions to adapt to more limited water resources going into the future and that states will need to work together to come up with innovative solutions, according to the new analysis released by the Bureau of Reclamation.

“Today’s Colorado River hydrology is not the same hydrology this basin knew a century ago. Every community, every sector, every industry that uses Colorado River water must do more to conserve and protect this critical water resource upon which 40 million Americans depend,” said John Entsminger, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, called the declaration and projections a “serious turn of events” but not a crisis, saying the state and stakeholders can make changes to limit water usage into the future.

“The challenge before us, to help protect the lake further and to protect 1020 elevation will be daunting, but we can and will address these issues, and be successful together in partnership,” he said.

But the conditions have worsened faster than expected, prompting the shortage declaration this year and possibly more reductions and actions in the future if drought conditions continue.

“The announcement today is a recognition that the hydrology that was planned for years ago but we hoped we would never see, is here,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Touton.

Moran said the shortage declaration shows the river is “ground zero” for climate change in the US.

“We’re seeing the impact of climate change and the interconnected crises of drought, wildfires and extreme heat, and we need to adapt on an accelerated basis to those impacts,” he told ABC News.

Moran added that he thinks the world is at a point of “accelerated climate change” that is forcing them to “grapple with the health of the hydrologic system and what it can actually sustain.”

“We’re having to face that in ways we have, we have been able to avoid, at least in significant ways until now,” he added.

But Moran said the Bureau of Reclamation and water users were able to come together to plan for this water shortage, adding that “failure is not an option” going forward.

Tropical storm Fred makes landfall in Florida

August 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(CAPE SAN BLAS, Fla.) — Tropical storm Fred made landfall near Cape San Blas, along the Florida Panhandle, on Monday afternoon with winds near 65 mph.

One foot of rain is possible in the Florida Panhandle. Fred then is forecast to barrel north through Alabama and Georgia, delivering up to 10 inches of rain.

The flash flood threat will stretch to Atlanta and could even reach Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., by Wednesday.

President Joe Biden warned last week that the hurricane-prone states also are ones with surging COVID-19 cases.

“Let me be clear. If you’re in a state where hurricanes often strike, a vital part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now. Everything is more complicated if you’re not vaccinated and a hurricane or natural disaster hits. If you wind up having to evacuate, if you wind up having to stay in a shelter, you don’t want to add COVID-19 to the list of dangers that you’re going to be confronting,” Biden said at a briefing alongside Federal Emergency Management Agency officials.

Fred isn’t the only storm moving through the Atlantic Ocean.

Tropical depression Grace is targeting Haiti, where residents are dealing with a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake this weekend that killed nearly 1,300 people.

Gusty winds and heavy rain are expected in Haiti Monday and Jamaica on Tuesday.

And a new tropical depression formed near Bermuda on Monday morning that could become Tropical Storm Henri later in the day.

A tropical depression near Bermuda could cause high waves and rip currents along the East Coast of the U.S.

Henri is expected to circle around Bermuda, where a tropical storm watch is in effect. Henri’s only impact on the U.S. could be high waves and rip currents along the East Coast.

Afghanistan updates: Chaos at Kabul airport, world responds

August 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — United States troops have taken control of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan as chaos continues after Afghanistan’s president fled the country over the weekend and the Taliban seized control of the presidential palace, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.

U.S. troops have established large barriers and roadblocks on the streets near the airport in an effort to both slow and control the fleeing population.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stood by the administration’s decision to withdraw troops by Aug. 31 on ABC’s Good Morning America Monday and placed blame for the speed of the Taliban takeover on the Afghan army for its decision “not to step up and fight for their country.”

“What the president was not prepared to do was enter a third decade of conflict, flowing in thousands of more troops, which was his only other choice, to fight in the middle of a civil war that the Afghan army wouldn’t fight for itself,” Sullivan said. “He would not do that to America’s men and women or their families, and that is why he made the decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan this year.”

As with Pentagon officials, Sullivan would not say that the takeover took the administration by surprise but did acknowledge it “certainly unfolded at an unexpected speed.” Presented with the fact that thousands of allies appear stranded in the country, Sullivan said the U.S. had planned for a “wide range of contingencies,” though he didn’t offer more specifics on timing or numbers of people that will be moved.

“We believe that we can effectuate an ongoing evacuation of American citizens, of Afghans who worked for us, including interpreters and translators and others vulnerable Afghans at risk. We’re working to do that by securing the airport today and in the days ahead by taking people out one flight at a time, flight after flight,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan insisted Afghanistan presented the U.S. with an opportunity to prove “that we can fight terrorism effectively without having a large military footprint on the ground.”

He also said the American people can expect to hear from the president “soon” as President Joe Biden faces criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the public for how the withdrawal has played out.

The increase of service members in Kabul follows Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, meeting with representatives of the Taliban earlier Sunday in Doha, Qatar, to inform them not to interfere with the U.S. mission at the airport, according to a U.S. official.

As the Taliban advanced last week, the U.S. State Department announced it was reducing its staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the Pentagon began sending in U.S. troops — now up to 6,000 — to help facilitate departures of Americans and Afghan allies.

The world reacts

An emergency session of the United Nations will be held Monday, and leaders around the globe have been issuing responses to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was speaking about the race against time to evacuate Brits and Afghans who helped the military when he became overcome with emotion after saying that some people who served the U.K. will not come back.

When asked in an interview with British radio station LBC why he was taking it so personally, he said, “Because I’m a soldier. It’s sad, and the West has done what it’s done, and we have to do our very best to get people out and stand by our obligations.”

Russia’s top envoy on Afghanistan has said Moscow will not rush to recognize the Taliban as the country’s new government.

But the envoy, Zamir Kabulov who oversees Russia’s Afghan policy, said in a radio interview with Echo of Moscow the Taliban had learned its lesson from 20 years ago when the world moved against them as terrorists.

He said the Taliban had promised no Russians would be harmed and that the group’s fighters have now taken Russia’s embassy under protection in Kabul. Russia has not evacuated its embassy so far, though it has pulled out some staff.

Meanwhile, official statements from China lay the groundwork for Beijing recognizing a Taliban government.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying noted that the Taliban said Sunday that the “war in Afghanistan is over” and that they will work to establish an inclusive government and ensure the safety of foreign missions in Afghanistan. Chunying said China expects these statements to be implemented in order to ensure a smooth transition and curb terrorist and criminal acts, so the Afghan people can avoid war and rebuild their country.

China has been wanting to expand their Belt and Road infrastructure initiative into Afghanistan but the U.S.-backed government had been reluctant to commit. China is connected to Afghanistan by a sliver of land called the Wakhan Corridor, which has historically been a well-traveled trade route. It connects to China’s Xinjiang region, and if it were opened, it would provide a better route from Kashgar, China, to Peshawar, Pakistan.

COVID-19 live updates: Positivity rate climbs to 25% at Children’s Hospital New Orleans

August 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 621,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.3 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 59.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:

Aug 16, 9:58 am
Positivity rate climbs to 25% at Children’s Hospital New Orleans

The positivity rate has climbed to 25% at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, Dr. Mark Kline, the hospital’s physician-in-chief, told ABC News on Sunday.

The hospital had 12 pediatric patients on Sunday. Half of them were under 2 years old, Kline said.

Five of the 12 patients in the hospital were in the ICU: an 8-week-old, a 3-month-old, a 13-month-old, a 23-month-old and a 17-year-old, Kline said.

“As we see more children infected and ill with COVID-19, it occurs to me that our children have become the collateral damage of many adults who frame refusal of masks and vaccines as an issue of personal freedom rather than the common-sense public health measures that they are,” Kline said.

“Children currently have no way out of this pandemic other than through the advocacy and personal responsibility of their parents and all adults,” Kline added. “So far, we are failing them miserably.”

How to help those devastated by earthquake in Haiti

August 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — After a deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti Saturday morning, destroying hundreds of buildings and homes, the beleaguered country is in need of assistance as a new tropical storm threat approaches.

Haiti’s Civil Protection agency announced Sunday that the death toll is at least 1,297 with initial reports that indicate there are more than 700 collapsed buildings, including hospitals and schools, at least 3,778 homes destroyed and significant damage to infrastructure and roads. The country’s prime minister declared a monthlong state of emergency.

How people can help

Disaster response teams from World Central Kitchen, an international humanitarian organization, and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led charity group, arrived in Haiti with food, water and relief supplies early Monday.

Both nonprofit organizations originated from the front-line relief efforts from the 2010 earthquake in the same country. Now, 11 years later, Team Rubicon executive and military veteran Jake Wood explained what their services look like in action amid chaos and uncertainty.

“There is the literal fog of war that takes place in those moments,” Wood told ABC News. “As veterans being able to conduct that operational planning, identify those risks and mitigate them, work within those local populations was a huge benefit — to get out to otherwise denied areas.”

Americans can donate directly to Team Rubicon here and visit their site and social media channels for updates and information as the efforts continue.

There are already culinary students in Haiti hard at work making meals for first responders thanks to world renowned chef and hospitality executive José Andrés, who has traveled to Haiti over 20 times with the group, providing food in the wake of natural disasters.

Nate Mook, World Central Kitchen executive director, told ABC News that “Haiti is in need of a lot right now” but their focus “is providing hot food, fresh meals.”

Haitian communities in the United States have started to rally support for the struggling nation.

Yolette Williams of the Haitian American Alliance said that after the initial period of shock “you get into working mode” and think about “what are we going to do?”

In Brooklyn, New York Haitian Americans have held meetings to decide the best way to get crucial resources to loved ones.

Local organizations in Miami have also combined efforts to send medicine and nonperishables directly to first responders on the ground.

Marleine Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement, told ABC News “we want to do things differently” than how the response was handled 11 years ago.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in 2010, where a lot of international organizations collected millions and millions and the money never reached the impacted people,” she said.

‘Pivotal’ moment for businesses considering back-to-office plans

August 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As mass vaccination rolled out in the late spring and COVID-19 cases began to decline precipitously, Americans and the companies they work for began to envision a return to normalcy.

Masking guidance was lifted for the vaccinated and plans were made for bringing employees who had the privilege of working from home through the crisis back into offices after more than a year of remote work — in many cases adopting a hybrid model that attempted to balance business needs, personal lives and safety.

But the rapid spread of the delta variant, largely among the unvaccinated, has overwhelmed hospital systems and cast uncertainty on those plans, halting many in their tracks.

In announcements that followed each other like dominoes, a slew of major U.S. corporations — from Amazon to McDonald’s — in recent weeks have pushed back their September office reopening targets.

In light of these mounting uncertainties, experts say organizational leaders are at a “pivotal” moment and must put workers at the center of their longer-term planning in order to build business resilience. The push to return to the status quo is no longer acceptable to many and an increase in choices, including the ability to work remotely, has upped the stakes for employers.

With a smooth return to “normal” after Labor Day no longer looking feasible, how organizations navigate recalling millions of workers still recouping from the collective anguish of a once-in-a-century pandemic could have a costly impact on retention at a time when job openings and quit rates are both at record highs.

“I would argue that for business leaders, it’s a pivotal moment for them, and they need to put their employees at the center of their workplace strategy,” Steven Hatfield, the head of Deloitte’s Global Future of Work team, which counsels some 90% of firms on the Fortune 500, told ABC News.

‘Permanently altered’ the employee-employer relationship

According to Hatfield, the pandemic has “permanently altered the nature of the employer-employee relationship.”

Many companies that had required their employees to come in five days a week and now, after more than a year of remote work, the work week and other aspects of the relationship are on the table. Hybrid, permanent remote and flexible arrangements have become a regular part of the conversation.

“We believe that the secret for organizations today is they have to acknowledge the nature of the changing dynamics in terms of that relationship. They need to acknowledge that workers do have more choice and more power.”

That level of choice is manifesting itself in “skill shortages, the labor shortages, the way in which people are picking up and moving to different jurisdictions based on where their heart is,” he added.

“And other factors — ‘promote’ job postings on LinkedIn is up 5x,” he said, referring to companies paying extra to make sure their postings are seen.

As the nation begins to emerge from the pandemic, fresh data indicates that people are leaving their jobs at record levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said earlier this week that the “quits rate” in June was 2.7% — tying with April 2021 for the highest rate since its record-keeping on it began. Moreover, the number of job openings hit a record high of 10.1 million in June, the BLS said in its latest release. The layoffs and discharge rate, meanwhile, was at a record low of 0.9% in both May and June.

Economists have attributed these trends to both competitive labor market conditions as employers vie for workers with increased flexibility offerings, as well as harder-to-quantify reasons as many people reassess their life and career goals following the shock of a global pandemic that left more than 600,000 Americans dead.

The pandemic also spurred droves of women to leave the workforce entirely, an alarming trend experts warned could undo years of hard-fought gains towards gender equity in the private sector. This mass exodus of women in the workforce has been linked to uneven caregiving responsibilities at home as schools and daycares sporadically shuttered throughout the course of the pandemic.

As delta now rages, many parents are also grappling with how to protect their unvaccinated children amid a push to reopen.

“What’s going on with the delta variant is basically just another data point telling us that returning to the status quo and going back to the office, expecting people to be there full time, everyday, face-to-face is just not going to cut it,” Mabel Abraham, a professor of management at Columbia Business School, told ABC News.

“I don’t think anyone would argue that we can replace face-to-face interactions wholly with being online, I’m certainly Zoomed-out,” she added. “There’s always going to be a place for that face-to-face dynamic, whether it looks the same as it did pre-pandemic is a different question. Do we necessarily need everybody to be in the office, every single day, for eight to ten hours a day? Probably not.”

‘Be adaptable’ and listen to employees

Abraham said this constantly-changing environment is demanding that employers — and employees — be nimble and adaptable to a degree that has not previously been demanded.

Organizational leaders “need to be thinking less about a formal plan, and more about how to be adaptable as the environment continues to change,” Abraham said.

Abraham said that simply giving people options can be a strategy for being adaptable. This starts by listening to employees who voice concerns — such as exposing family members to the virus or commuting difficulties — and setting up a workplace that offers flexible options.

Some 42% of current remote workers say if their current company does not continue to offer remote work options long term, they will look for a job at a company that does, according to Prudential’s Pulse of the American Worker Survey released earlier this year.

“Employers who aren’t listening are in some ways just being naive in thinking that their employees won’t move,” Abraham said. “In this current environment, for many people, the pandemic looms large and it really is a concerning factor where going back to the office might mean that that person is willing to forego their position, even if they’re getting the benefits and the pay and enjoying the work and liking their co-workers.”

“Employers just need to recognize that when employees voice these concerns, it probably takes a lot for them to speak up, so if they’re bringing it up it’s because they’re probably really concerned about it,” she added. “And making a decision to not offer options, not to offer flexibility, needs to come with the understanding that that person might actually leave.”

Her recent research also found that organizations with female leadership and which signal that they care about equity in the workplace are much more likely to attract women applicants at a time when many firms have had great difficulties retaining their female staff.

“With all of the dialogue around women exiting at an even higher rate than men during this time, really thinking about if we want to counter that force in any way, organizations need to think carefully about how this solution will also have this additional benefit of really retaining their top female talent,” she said.

Looking out for workers ‘good for business’

Deloitte’s Hatfield added that while many still think about productivity in “first-industrial-revolutionary terms,” looking out for your employees’ health and well-being is actually “good for business, too.”

“We need to reshape our ideas around productivity to be akin to the marketplace that exists now, so your performance as a human, your well-being as a human, really matters,” Hatfield added, “and it matters to boost the productivity for the organization.”

For businesses, Hatfield said that, “It makes more sense for organizations to focus on up-skilling and re-skilling their workforce than trying to find workers.”

If organizational leaders are more attuned to the needs of their employees, and supportive of their career growth, this can help build a resilient workforce within an organization despite a myriad of external factors that leaders cannot control.

The present environment also presents a unique opportunity for employees to express what they need in order to do their work better and to more seamlessly support the work of an organization — whether it’s a stipend for a better home office setup, more flexibility options, or a better understanding of the purpose in the work they do.

“But, I think it’s incumbent on the workforce itself to be vocal about what some of those things might be in order to help the organizations they work with navigate change,” Hatfield said.

The more organizational leaders engage and pay attention to their workers, the more they can also avoid falling into a “trap” of attempting to appease by offering unrelated perks — like an office ping pong table “that’s going to gather dust,” Hatfield said.

“Do what’s going to be classic,” he said. “Do the things that are going to have enduring power, both for the organization and for the workforce — so things like focusing on the potential of their work, and focusing on how they develop, and ensuring that what their workforce is doing is really meaningful.”

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